Charity Elliott enters her fifth season as head coach at UC San Diego, having guided the Tritons to NCAA Division II West Regional appearances three out of her first four seasons at the helm. The fifth coach in program history, Elliott begins the 2011-12 campaign with a career coaching mark of 152-122 (.555) and an impressive record of 97-31 (.758) at UCSD.

Elliott has been one of the most successful coaches in program history, leading the Tritons to four consecutive 20 win seasons and two California Collegiate Athletic Association Championships. 2008-09 was arguably Elliott's most successful campaign in La Jolla, as the Tritons tied the program's all-time mark for victories, posted a near-flawless record in conference play and advanced to the NCAA West Regional Semifinals.

Ranked as high as No. 7 nationally, UCSD finished with an overall record of 27-5 that year, tying the 2006-07 squad's record for victories in a season. The Tritons were absolutely dominant in CCAA play, going 19-1 to capture the regular season championship and earn a No. 1 seed in the conference tournament. That mark was UCSD's best since joining the CCAA in 2000-01 and was the top finish by any team in the league since the 2002-03 season. The Tritons won 15 games in a row at one point -- one shy of the program's longest streak -- and Elliott was named the CCAA Coach of the Year at the end of the season.

The Tritons earned a No. 3 seed in the NCAA D-II West Regional in Seattle, where they knocked off league rival Cal State Dominguez Hills, 66-65, in the first round. UCSD's season came to an end the following day with a narrow 52-49 defeat to eventual national semfinalist Alaska Anchorage.

Under Elliott's guidance, senior forward Michelle Osier was named the CCAA Most Valuable Player in 2008-09 and went on to earn Daktronics West Region Player of the Year accolades, as well. Osier also set both the UCSD career rebounding (1,185) and steals (318) marks during that season.

2009-10 was another banner year for the Tritons, as Elliott led the team
to a 25-5 overall record and a second consecutive CCAA regular season crown with a league mark of 19-3.
Despite an opening round loss to host Humboldt State in the CCAA
Tournament, the Tritons
advanced to postseason play for the fifth straight season, earning a No. 2 seed in the NCAA West Regional. UCSD drew
Humboldt State once again in the first round and lost a heartbreaking 76-72
decision to the Lumberjacks in Seattle.

Elliott was named the
CCAA Coach of the Year for the second year in row in 2009-10 and
sophomore guard Chelsea Carlisle was voted the conference's Most
Valuable Player. Carlisle went on to earn
Daktronics West Region Player of the Year accolades and was named a
WBCA State Farm Coaches First Team All-American.

The Tritons got off to a rocky start in 2010-11, losing their first five games of the season, but Elliott's squad quickly got things turned around and finished with an overall record of 20-11 and league tally of 17-5. UCSD was awarded the No. 3 seed in the CCAA Tournament and, after knocking off Chico State in the opening round, saw its season come to a close with a narrow 78-75 loss to rival Cal Poly Pomona.

Carlisle was again selected as an All-American, earning honorable mention honors from the WBCA.

Prior to her arrival on the La Jolla campus, Elliott spent three seasons as the head coach at Division I Portland State, where she led the Vikings to a remarkable turnaround during her tenure.

After PSU finished with an overall record of 3-23 during her first year in 2004-05, the Vikings improved to 12-16 and 6-8 in the Big Sky Conference during her second season. The nine-win improvement ranked amongst the nation's top 20 and Portland State qualified for the Big Sky Tournament for the first time in three years.

Before taking the Portland State job, Elliott served as an assistant coach for Arkansas for one season, helping the Razorbacks to a record of 16-12. Prior to that, she served as head coach at Cal Baptist for two seasons, where she guided the Lancers to a 16-16 record in 2002-03, snapping the program's run of 10 consecutive losing seasons.

She has also served in an assistant capacity with Southwest Baptist, Southwest Missouri State (her alma mater) and San Diego State (under head coach Beth Burns in 1993-94).

Elliott began her collegiate basketball career at Rice University, where she played for two seasons. She averaged 16 points per game as a sophomore before transferring to Southwest Missouri State (now Missouri State). While at SMS, Elliott guided the Bears to a 31-3 record and the program's first-ever Final Four appearance as a senior in 1992. An integral part of one of the most successful teams in program history, she ranked in the top 10 nationally in free throw percentage and was named SMS' Woman of the Year at the end of the 1991-92 season. The Bears posted a 57-8 record during her two-year career with the program.

After graduating from Southwest Missouri State with a degree in psychology, Elliott began her coaching career as an assistant at San Diego State, where she helped coach the Aztecs to a 26-5 record and an NCAA Tournament appearance in 1993-94. Elliott then returned to Springfield, Mo. to join Cheryl Burnett's staff at her alma mater. She spent two seasons as an assistant at Missouri State, helping the Bears post a combined record of 46-17 with two Big Dance appearances.

Elliott, who also earned her masters in education while at Southwest Baptist, resides in San Diego with her husband Chris, who is also is a member of the Triton coaching staff.